As is known in the art, endoscopes are medical instruments used to examine an interior cavity of a body. They typically include a rigid or flexible shaft. The distal end of the endoscope shaft can have a light delivery system for illumination and a lens or image sensor to capture images. An endoscope may also have a channel to allow entry of medical instruments or manipulators.
In a similar manner, articulating borescopes used in industrial and/or scientific fields, may also include a rigid or flexible shaft, distal end light delivery system, and a lens and/or image sensor to capture images. Additionally, borescopes may also have a channel to allow use of instruments or manipulators. Herethroughout, the terms “endoscope” and “borescope” are used interchangeably.
In use, one end of the endoscope is inserted into a body so that images inside the body can be transmitted back to an eyepiece or other video display located outside the body. Accordingly, it is preferable to design an endoscope having a shaft with a small circumference because that will determine the size of the hole needed for inserting the endoscope into the body.
Flexible endoscopes, and even some rigid endoscopes, have an articulating section of the shaft that can bend. This permits a user to manipulate the endoscope to investigate different areas inside a body or to perform certain tasks, although not limited thereto. As a result, any component inside the endoscope shaft is preferably flexible.
For endoscopes that use an image sensor to capture images and transmit them back to a monitor, a number of electrical wires are required so that the image sensor is provided with power and communication connections. Traditionally, cable assemblies have been used to provide these connections, but such cable assemblies are expensive and difficult to manufacture. In addition, cable assemblies may lack strength to resist kinking and may break with repeated articulations of the endoscope.
Therefore, it would be beneficial to have a superior durable flexible circuit assembly for endoscopes and/or borescopes.